64
They delivered the king's orders to the royal managers and to the commanders of Coele-Syria and Phoenicia. These officials honored the people and the Lord's temple.
65
After these things happened, the leaders came to me and said,
66
"The people of Israel, the rulers, the priests, and the Levites haven't separated themselves from the impurities in the foreign neighboring peoples: the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Edomites.
67
They and their families have intermarried with their daughters, and the holy nation has been intermixed with the land's foreigners. The leaders and the officials have been sharing in this unlawful practice right from the start."
68
As soon as I heard about these things, I tore my clothes and my priest's robe. I pulled out hair from my head and beard, and I sat down depressed and very sad.